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BC Crisis Line – 9-8-8
Canada's national suicide crisis helpline. Call or text 9-8-8 any time to reach a trained crisis responder. Free, confidential, and available in English and French.
Help in these languages:- English
- Français French
Access and Assessment Centre (AAC)
Urgent mental health and substance-use assessment clinic for adults (17+) experiencing a mental health crisis or severe distress. Provides psychiatric assessment, stabilization, short-term treatment, and referrals to community mental health and addiction services. Often used as an alternative to emergency departments for urgent psychiatric care.
Access Central Detox Referral Line
Substance use intake line offering same-day clinical assessment and referrals to detox, treatment, and recovery services.
BC Seniors' Distress Line
Free, confidential phone line for seniors feeling lonely, distressed, or facing a crisis, and for caregivers or anyone concerned about an older adult. Trained volunteers listen and help callers work through problems such as grief, isolation, retirement stress, or health worries, and can connect callers with other services. Answered 24 hours a day, every day, with interpretation available in many languages. Call 604-872-1234. This is a separate line from the general Distress Centre number, 604-872-3311.
Distress Line - Crisis Centre BC
Free and confidential telephone support for anyone experiencing emotional distress, crisis, or grief.
Suicide Line - Crisis Line Association of BC
Provincial crisis line network offering immediate support for people experiencing emotional distress or mental health crisis.
BC Cancer Patient & Family Counselling Services
Free counselling for people with cancer and their family members at the BC Cancer Vancouver Centre. Helps with fear, anxiety, depression, family stress, and other effects of a cancer diagnosis or treatment. No referral is needed. Patients can self-refer or be referred by a health care provider, and sessions are covered by MSP. Punjabi-language counselling is also available.
Help in these languages:- English
- ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Punjabi
Problem Gambling Helpline
Free, confidential helpline for anyone affected by gambling problems, including family members. Trained staff offer counselling and referrals to treatment and support services. Available by phone 24/7, with support in more than 200 languages.
Watari Counselling and Support Services
Free, trauma-informed counselling for individuals, couples, and families in the Downtown Eastside and Strathcona areas of Vancouver, with a focus on substance use, mental health, grief, and trauma. Counsellors include Indigenous staff and offer service in Vietnamese, Cantonese, Punjabi, Hindi, and Spanish as well as English. Call 604-254-6995 to ask about getting started.
Help in these languages:- English
- 廣東話 Cantonese
- ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Punjabi
- Tiếng Việt Vietnamese
- Español Spanish
- हिन्दी Hindi
National Indian Residential School Crisis Line
24/7 national crisis line for anyone affected by their experience at an Indian Residential School, including Survivors, families, and intergenerational survivors. Trained responders offer emotional support and can connect callers to other health and cultural supports. Free and confidential. Call 1-866-925-4419 any time, day or night. The same line connects Survivors and families to free ongoing support through the Resolution Health Support Program, including counselling, traditional healing with Elders and help getting to appointments (in BC coordinated by the First Nations Health Authority).
For Indigenous People
Alcoholics Anonymous
Provides free, peer-based support for people who want to stop drinking or are thinking about making a change. You can call to speak with someone who understands what you’re going through and can help you find a meeting near you. Meetings are held throughout Vancouver and are open, welcoming, and confidential. No referral or commitment required, just a place to start. Find a meeting near you at https://vancouveraa.ca/meetings/.
BC Schizophrenia Society
Support and education for people living with schizophrenia or psychosis and their families, across BC. Offers family support groups, one-on-one peer support, and educational resources on treatment and recovery, in person and online. Also advocates for better mental health policy and services. Call 604-270-7841 or 1-888-888-0029 to reach the office. Free to access, with the Vancouver office open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm.
Independent Rights Advice Service (IRAS BC)
Information and rights advice for people detained and receiving involuntary psychiatric treatment under BC Mental Health Act. A Rights Advisor explains legal rights as an involuntary patient and how to act on them, independent of the hospital or treatment team, and keeps the conversation confidential unless the patient agrees otherwise. Ask the treatment team for a Rights Advice meeting, or book one directly through the IRAS BC website. Free. Serves all of BC.
Mood Disorders Association of BC
Free peer support groups and a helpline for people living with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, or other mood disorders, and their families and friends. Groups meet in person and online across Metro Vancouver, partly facilitated by people with lived experience. Now run as a program of Lookout Housing and Health Society. Call 604-873-0103 in the Lower Mainland or 1-855-282-7979 elsewhere in BC, Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm - this is not a crisis line, so call 911 or go to an emergency room for emergencies.
South Vancouver Neighbourhood House
Neighbourhood house in South Vancouver offering programs and support for seniors, in partnership with the South Vancouver Seniors Hub. Services include community lunches, social and wellness groups, ESL classes, caregiver and grief support groups, tech help, and Better at Home support such as light housekeeping, transportation, and grocery delivery for people 55 and older. Most programs require a free SVNH membership, and some services use a sliding scale (community lunch $7, ESL one-time fee $5). Call or visit to register. Staff are available in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Hindi.
Help in these languages:- English
- 廣東話 Cantonese
- 普通话 Mandarin
- ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Punjabi
- 한국어 Korean
- हिन्दी Hindi
Services & Programs (7)
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A weekly group that gives seniors support and information after the death of someone close or another loss. Free with membership, registration required. Call or email Alex Hill to join.
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One-on-one appointments to help seniors understand government programs and find the right local service, in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi or Hindi depending on staff. Free with membership. Call to book a time.Help in these languages:
- English
- 廣東話 Cantonese
- 普通话 Mandarin
- ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Punjabi
- हिन्दी Hindi
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One-on-one help with phones and computers by phone, email or Zoom, in English, Cantonese or Mandarin. Free with membership. Call or email Frank Lin to book a session.Help in these languages:
- English
- 廣東話 Cantonese
- 普通话 Mandarin
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A beginner English class taught in Cantonese for older adults, on Wednesday afternoons. A one-time $5 fee covers the class. Call or email Frank Lin to register.Help in these languages:
- English
- 廣東話 Cantonese
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A hot lunch for older adults every Wednesday at South Vancouver Neighbourhood House, for $7. Registration is required. Call or email Alex Hill to book a spot.
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Prepared frozen meals delivered to seniors’ homes every Thursday, for $6 to $7 a meal. There is a waitlist. Email frozenmeals@southvan.org or call to be added.
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An online support group, by Zoom or WeChat, for family and friends caring for an older adult, in English, Cantonese or Mandarin. Free with membership. Contact Ping Chen to join a language group.Help in these languages:
- English
- 廣東話 Cantonese
- 普通话 Mandarin
Vancouver Black Therapy & Advocacy Foundation
Vancouver Black Therapy and Advocacy Foundation is a nonprofit connecting Black community members in Metro Vancouver to free and low-cost therapy with Black counsellors, along with patient navigation and advocacy support. Priority is given to Black people who are also disabled, low-income, LGBTQIA+, newcomers, or refugees. There is no phone line or physical office - contact through the online form on the website to ask about access and current wait times.
Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS)
Counselling, referrals, and advocacy for Indian Residential School Survivors, their families, and communities across BC, run by the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. Staff connect survivors with FNHA-approved counsellors at no cost, and also run public education and a resource library on the effects of residential schools. In-person appointments are offered at Vancouver, West Vancouver, Prince George, and Kamloops offices, but must be booked ahead. Walk-ins are not guaranteed.
For Indigenous People
BC Society for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse (BCSMSSA)
Counselling and victim services for male-identifying survivors of sexual abuse, sexual assault, or intimate partner violence anywhere in BC, and for their family members. Counselling fees are on a sliding scale, including lower-cost sessions with supervised practicum clinicians, plus weekly group therapy at 50 dollars a session (sliding scale available). Victim services staff can report an assault to police on a survivors behalf so they stay anonymous, and offer safety planning and referrals. Counselling is in person in Vancouver, or by phone and telehealth elsewhere in BC. Call 604-682-6482, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.
BC Alcohol & Drug Information and Referral Service
Free phone line for anyone worried about their own or a family member's alcohol or drug use. Trained staff give information and refer callers to counselling, treatment, detox, and recovery services across BC. Call 604-660-9382 in the Lower Mainland or 1-800-663-1441 elsewhere in BC, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (closed statutory holidays). Confidential and free; no referral needed to call.
Bounce Back – Reclaim Your Health
Free program teaching coping skills for mild to moderate depression, anxiety, stress, or worry, for adults. Includes self-guided online videos and workbooks available any time, in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, French, Punjabi, and Spanish. Telephone or video coaching is also available but needs a family doctor or nurse practitioner connected to the file. Self-register online at bouncebackbc.ca or call 1-866-639-0522 for more information.
Help in these languages:- English
- 廣東話 Cantonese
- 普通话 Mandarin
- ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Punjabi
- Español Spanish
- Français French
Pain BC
Free support for people in BC living with chronic pain, and their families, including a Pain Support Line by phone or text. The Pain Support Line offers one-on-one emotional support, information, and help finding resources with a trained support worker. Also offers self-guided tools such as LivePlanBe+, an online pain management education program, and Gentle Movement at Home, a series of guided exercise videos, plus peer support and skill-building resources. Call the support line Monday to Friday 9am-4pm, or text Monday to Thursday 1pm-8pm.
Innercity Women's Initiatives Society
Outreach and harm reduction support for women in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver experiencing trauma, substance use, or mental health challenges, through the Downtown Auxiliary Mobile Services (DAMS) program. Offers harm reduction supplies, life-skills workshops on topics such as grief, self-esteem, and anger management, weekly support groups, and case management with accompaniment to medical appointments or court. A drop-in meal program runs Wednesdays and Fridays, 5pm to 7pm. Free - call 604-687-5454 for more information.
For Women
Trans Lifeline
Free, confidential peer support crisis line for trans, nonbinary, and questioning people, staffed entirely by trans and nonbinary operators. Call for emotional support or someone to talk to during a crisis or moments of isolation. Operators will not contact emergency services without the caller’s request.